


before the starlight fades

by TenMinuteLove (inkwellAnomaly)



Series: the night sky's song [2]
Category: Evillious Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe, Brainwashing, Cults, Prostitution, Roleswap, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-08-20 14:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20229520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkwellAnomaly/pseuds/TenMinuteLove
Summary: In which the gods and demons swap roles.





	1. Prologue: Ambition

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a mini-project that started out as a speculation of which gods would fit the Seven Virtues.
> 
> For reference, here they are:
> 
> Chastity - Levia  
Temperance - Luna  
Humility - TALOS  
Diligence - Gumillia  
Kindness - Michaela  
Charity - Behemo  
Patience - Held
> 
> Meanwhile, the four gods are now:
> 
> Graveyard - Vlad  
Court - Salem  
Heavenly Yard - Marie  
Hellish Yard - Seth
> 
> As for the others, that is yet to be revealed. Happy reading!

Boring.

How very, very boring.

By the hands of the Fruit of the Womb, the Seven Heavenly Virtues have been released onto the world.

The two lights descended, not on the twin Fruits, but on the Divine Mother instead. Shortly after, she was killed by the hands of her false children.

Not as compelling a story as I’d hoped.

In any case, it seems it’s up to me to make it interesting.

I suppose, as Master of the Hellish Yard, I must oppose the Virtues, correct?

Or rather… I can do with them as I’d like. Yes, they’ll make adequate tools for the sake of granting my ambition.

To alleviate my everlasting boredom,

I will sow chaos in this world.


	2. Prologue: Four Ends

The world created by the four pillar gods  
Will prosper for a thousand years  
After that, the end times will arrive  
Brought about by each of the four Masters

The Master of the Graveyard brings revelry  
He will prepare a banquet  
Of overflowing wine and milk and honey  
Souls will dine at a never-ending feast  
And all are welcome at the table

The Master of the Hellish Yard brings punishment  
All are unforgiven  
The gears of His black box will turn  
The world will dye white  
And everything will return to nothing

The Master of the Court brings justice  
All will be judged in a final trial  
Appearance and age, race and gender:  
All of it is irrelevant  
Sins are His only consideration

The Master of the Heavenly Yard brings atonement  
All will kneel to Her  
The trumpet will resound  
And under Her banner the dead shall march  
Towards a new world


	3. Prologue: The Quest

The sorcerer looked around pensively as he arrived in the forest clearing. It was the dead of night, and the moon peeked through the branches of the trees. Somewhere, a rollam bird was cawing. It was the middle of the Witch’s Forest - this had to be the miraculous Tree of Salem.

In front of him, the great golden-leafed tree contorted its branches to make the shape of a man’s face, who then looked at him with curiosity and puzzlement. It seemed as though Salem was appraising him, as if trying to judge his value.

“You look to be in a bind, child! What sort of business do you have here?”

The sorcerer stepped forward, and cleared his throat.

“I’ve lost my wife. She’s dead. But right before she died, I saw two lights descend into her body. Surely that had to be the work of a god. And so, I seek your help in finding her soul.”

Salem’s expression softened with pity.

“Your wife’s death is certainly regrettable. Those twin lights - those were the work of my colleague. He is one of the four pillar gods, but he represents Malice. At present I am unsure of his plans, but I know for sure that they are bound to result in calamity. It seems your wife has been caught up in it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“To put it simply, your wife’s soul has fused with the twin lights - god fragments. She will be set to reincarnate every century or so.”

“Then I can find her? I have infinite time, anyway.”

“So you say. Although, might I offer a bit of counsel?”

The sorcerer nodded.

“Although I cannot be certain, your wife will most likely reincarnate in places with great magical atmosphere. Said atmosphere is affected by the presence of the Virtues, released by the Twins of God.”

The sorcerer remained silent, before speaking again. “What are you proposing that I do?”

“Gather the seven Virtues within a century, and bring them here to me. And then, you will find your wife.”

“You have my aid,” the sorcerer affirmed. “But why gather them? Aren’t Virtues a good thing?”

“You’ll see, my boy, that Heavenly Virtues can corrupt as much as Deadly Sins can.”

“Then I’ll do it. I’ll take up your quest.”

The sorcerer rushed off to begin his journey.

Soon after, the tree murmured to himself.

“Although I really wonder if you’re up to the task… Adam Moonlit.”


	4. Humility: The Diva's Waltz

**THE DIVA’S WALTZ**  
Infomine under the cut.

_Scene 1_

  * The story begins at the bottom of a well, illuminated by the full moon. A green-haired girl lies there, dying. She’s been stabbed in the chest with a knife. The narration notes that this is a story the readers are already familiar with.
  * The narration wonders where everything began to go mad.

_Scene 2_

  * The story flashes back to almost a year before. The girl, Michaela, is working at the mansion of Keel Freezis, a wealthy merchant living in Elphegort. She’s cleaning - there was a banquet earlier that night, but it’s winding down now. Most of the guests have left. There’s still one, though. A blue-haired man. He’s staring at a painting in Keel’s collection. The painting is of a bouquet of flowers, with some of them wilting.
  * Michaela recalls that his name is Kyle Marlon, currently incognito as a guest to Keel’s banquet. She approaches him, commenting that the painting is one of Keel’s most valuable pieces. Kyle agrees, explaining it was done by the first female prime minister of Elphegort, Gumina Glassred.
  * Michaela acts shy, saying she’s a commoner and knows little about history. Kyle starts flirting with her, saying they should get to know each other a bit more. Michaela pretends to be shocked, remarking that he’s the king of Marlon, engaged to Princess Riliane of Lucifenia.

_Scene 3_

  * It’s now a month later. Kyle comes by to the mansion every so often on the pretext of visiting Keel, when really it’s to see Michaela. They chat in the garden and stroll around town.
  * Michaela clutches the shell pendant hanging from her neck. Kyle said it’s a courtship tradition for Marlon men, and Michaela accepted it. As she walks to buy soap in town, she thinks to herself that everything is going according to plan.
  * While there, she visits the market. One of the vendors calls out to her, and asks if she works at the Freezis mansion. Michaela confirms it. A blond-haired boy comes forward, introducing himself as Allen, asking for directions as he’s gotten lost. Michaela tells him she can lead him to the mansion, and finishes buying soap.
  * On the way there, they talk and exchange jokes. Michaela finds him cute, and realizes she has a crush on him. Silently, she wonders if this will affect the plan she’s currently enacting.

_Scene 4_

  * Several weeks later, Michaela gazes at the red sky. The Witch Forest is burning. Princess Riliane has set it on fire, and has waged war on Elphegort due to Kyle rejecting her marriage proposal. In her mind, Michaela questions if it was worth it all.
  * Michaela flees into the forest, donning a hood to escape the soldiers. She reaches Keel’s safehouse, a well deep in the heart of the forest.
  * Just as she’s about to go down, Michaela hears a voice. It’s Allen. She surmises he’s here to kill her upon Princess Riliane’s orders.
  * She wants him to know that she loves him. He brushes it off, saying that she’s just saying that to sway him. She presses that it’s true.
  * He says he loves her as well, and raises his knife.

_Scene 5_

  * She recalls being given her mission. Her father, a minister loyal to King Thorny Elphen, tells her she’s ready to go undercover as a maid at the Freezis mansion. Her task is to seduce King Kyle, that will set off a chain of events that will lead to Lucifenia’s downfall.
  * She is unsure. Her father tells her to do it for the king, and for her country. He tells her not to be like her elder sister Margaret, who married a Marlon noble years ago and worked for another country instead of her own.
  * She asks what good sparking a war in her own country will do. Her father says that their ally, Marlon, will help it up from its ashes once it annexes Lucifenia.
  * She finally agrees to the plan. Her father tells her to get some rest, as she has a busy day ahead of her. She bids him goodnight, and he does the same. He calls her by her real name, Dominique, before correcting himself. She is no longer Dominique Celeste, but Michaela.
  * Michaela falls into an uneasy sleep.

_Scene 6_

  * Allen can’t do it. He’s crying. He says he loves her, but that he’s been ordered by Princess Riliane to kill Kyle’s lover.
  * Michaela corrects him, saying that she never actually accepted Kyle’s love. She tells him that everything was a set-up - meeting Kyle, him rejecting Riliane, and eventually the war between Elphegort and Lucifenia.
  * She tells him to get on with it. She says she’s evil, despite wanting to do the right thing. Michaela tells him that she feels guilty, and decides that the only way she can atone for her actions is by dying.
  * Allen raises his knife once again, and stabs Michaela in the chest. She falls to the bottom of the well.

_Scene 7_

  * A person is watching everything through a spyglass. With it, they can see great distances and even through solid surfaces. It’s not an ordinary spyglass - it’s a vessel of virtue, with the Angel of Humility dwelling inside.
  * The person (eventually revealed to be Ney) pulls out a green onion communicator. She contacts her mother, Empress Dowager Prim, and tells her that everything has gone as expected.
  * From the other end, Prim laughs, praising herself for getting her colleague in Elphegort (Dominique’s father) to go along with her plan. All she needs to do now is get rid of him.
  * Ney affirms it, and says she’ll do it herself. Prim thanks her, saying she’s an amazing daughter. Ney is extremely pleased. Prim says goodbye and her voice eventually fades. Ney stares out the window at the burning forest, and affirms that her sole purpose is to please Prim.
  * The narration notes that the providence of virtue is not over.


	5. Humility: From Black to Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ney Phutapie, practitioner of Humility, meets her end.

Mother, Mother help! Help, I’ve slipped! I’m going to fall!

Mother, please! Don’t look at me with such a cold expression. 

Mother…

Aha.

Ahaha. Ahahahaha!

Is this how the great Marlon general Ney Phutapie meets her end? Will she be dashed against the rocks, or perhaps drown in the dark waters of the sea? This simply won’t do. A genius such as myself doesn’t deserve to die in such a brutal manner. Such deaths are reserved for boorish low-lives. Hahaha.

My grip is failing.

No.

_I don’t want to die._

This is… always how it goes, isn’t it? I’ll always be abandoned. Abandoned, alright.

The great moon looks quite beautiful tonight. By her light, I might yet be able to find my way home. I’ll go back to the witch’s house, and throw her into the furnace. Yes, I’ll do it all over again. 

I remember who I am now.

Well then, cruel world, it’s time to say goodbye.

Not saying anything, Angel? Suit yourself.

If I could be rebo-


	6. Diligence: (Vlad's eating potato chips)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prologue to the Diligence arc.

“It’s a duplicate of your original body,” Vlad said in between chewing fistfuls of food. “Minus the irregular powers, of course. I’m no miracle worker, hun.”

As she stood before him, dumbfounded, Elluka Chirclatia didn’t know what to make of it, or what exactly Vlad’s plan was.

“Ah, right,” Vlad said as he clapped his hands together. “Haven’t filled you in yet. Let me tell you my plan. I noticed that there’s been a strange uptick in the number of HERs up on the ground world. Which doesn’t make sense, given that the Levianta Catastrophe practically wiped them out six hundred years ago.”

“So... how does this relate to you making me a body...?”

“I’m getting to that, geez. Anyway, obviously I can’t interfere. I need to maintain all these Akashic recorders, and also the Hellish Yard’s mainframe! So, that’s why I’m sending you, a human, to interfere.”

“But I thought Marie—“

“What that bitch doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Vlad cut in. “I’m only making one tiny exception to her rules. What’s she gonna do, order me up there to come get you? Pshh.”

“...I’m going to be revived on the ground world, and then I have to come up with a cure for HER? Wasn’t the Magic Kingdom’s technology also destroyed in the Catastrophe?”

“Hmm, some of it survived. You know Seth’s underground lab in northern Levianta? Yeah, it’s still there. Should have some good tech,” Vlad said as he returned to munching on the gods’ delicacy in a brightly-colored bag.

“But how am I supposed to—“

“Use your imagination. Well, those HERs aren’t going to cure themselves! Chop chop, sweetheart,” Vlad said as he snapped his fingers.

The room spun around and dyed white. The next thing Elluka knew, she opened her eyes in a hospital. She looked down at her hands - they were flesh and bone. She was no longer a spirit.

Vlad’s voice rung in the back of her head.

“Oh, and one last thing. I’ll make this quick since you won’t hear my voice for much longer. One of my colleagues, you definitely need to avoid. You’re extra vulnerable to her. It’s Gumillia, the Angel of Dilige—“

Vlad’s voice faded. Elluka didn’t know what to make of it. 

Reintegrate into society, and find a way to cure HER given her limited time and resources. She had her work laid out before her. 

There was no time to lose.


	7. Diligence: The Duel of Lunaca Labora

**PRAEMIA VIRTUTIS HONORES: SEVENTH, MIRACLE WORKER**

**PART 2-THE DUEL OF LUNACA LABORA**

_ Scene 1 _

  * The scene opens in the middle of the Corpa Firm’s factory. It’s the middle of the night. Kaiser and his assistant Julia have Lucina and Heidemarie cornered, holding them both at gunpoint. They’ve finally found proof linking them to the child disappearance cases all over Evillious.
  * Kaiser asks Lucina where Kiyoshi is - she doesn’t know. It seems he fled the factory, knowing that they were about to be compromised. He further asks what the child kidnappings were all for. Lucina elaborates, saying that she needed “power sources” for her supertechnology from the Magic Kingdom. She says she’s doing it for the greater good, and to save the world from HER.
  * Kaiser reveals himself as Adam Moonlit, and counters that the HERs were wiped out in the Leviantan Catastrophe.
  * Heidemarie pipes up, saying they’ve all been outwitted. She toys with him, saying Adam’s “special little someone” is upstairs, mourning the death of her child Chansaux, having overworked herself as a magic battery. She muses that, despite her magic potential as a Netsuma descendant, she still wasn’t quite good enough.
  * Adam grits his teeth, and accuses Lucina of using children for her own ends just like her father Ton. Lucina says she’s the only one who knows how to cure HER, and reveals herself as Elluka Chirclatia, a famous priestess also from the Magic Kingdom. She knows Adam, having followed Project Ma on television as a child. She’d always wanted to be part of it, hating to just stand by and watch. So now she’s getting involved.
  * Julia asks Heidemarie for her real identity, wondering why she’s so knowledgeable. Heidemarie says her real name is Gumillia, and that she’s the Angel of Diligence in a human body. Adam is taken aback - he knows that angels are powerful beings, and that it’s best not to mess with one.

_ Scene 2 _

  * Cut to upstairs. Margarita sobs over Chansaux, having loved her as her own flesh and blood daughter despite only adopting her. She can feel memories of having lost a child come flooding back. Her children, she says. Her children are nowhere to be found.
  * She seems light coming from outside the door. She decides to investigate, and opens it.

_ Scene 3 _

  * We’re back downstairs.
  * Gumillia takes out a small Black Box from her pocket, and says it’s finally time for the true ‘Duel’ to begin.

_ Scene 4 _

  * Julia opens her eyes. She’s in a black void with white gridlines, standing on top of a floating platform. She looks down - there’s a confrontation between Elluka (who now has blonde hair), Gumillia (who’s holding Eve’s collapsed body), and Adam.
  * Adam demands Gumillia relinquish his wife. Gumillia says that, with all the lives she’s lived, she wonders if there’s even any need for him to call her his wife.
  * Gumillia takes a golden key and puts it into Eve’s back. She says Eve is just like a doll - a sleeping princess. She winds it up, and tells her to put everyone else to sleep. Green gas starts spreading from Eve’s mouth.
  * Julia tries to run down, but her eyes start feeling heavy. She remembers something - she remembers running. Running away from something, running towards something. But she doesn’t know what.
  * Another voice rings out - a brown-haired man in spectacles, accompanied by twin blonde children. Julia’s memories come back - the man is Seth Twiright, and the twins are her children.
  * Seth ignores her, and says he’ll reap the benefits of their fighting. He says everyone in this realm will soon be destroyed, except for him, of course. He just needs to grab Elluka, who is an irregular herself, and he’ll have accomplished his goals.
  * Meta blasts him with shadow magic, and Adam does the same his lightning magic. Elluka, who refuses to be a captive, joins in, summoning a strong wind. Gumillia herself summons a mass of vines.
  * Seth has Hansel and Gretel shield the attack, but Meta calls out to them. They recognize her, and come running.
  * Seth is furious, not having anticipated that. In quick succession, Elluka opens a portal to somewhere and leaps in. Meta sees the opportunity, grabs her children, and hops in after her. Gumillia decides enough is enough and pulls out another Black Box, saying this will settle things. Before Adam can stop her, she inserts her golden key into it, and everything dies white.

_ Scene 5 _

  * Adam opens his eyes. He’s all alone in the factory - everyone is gone, including Seth and the vessel. He grits his teeth, saying he’s back at zero.
  * Seth is on the run, the last thing he remembers is that he’s running away from something. It seems Gumillia’s blast wiped his memories. He keeps running, hoping to find somewhere safe from a fear he doesn’t understand.
  * Gumillia is back in her vessel. She can’t leave, and so she peers into the other dimensions to see where Meta and Elluka had fled. It seems they’re in Angolmois, a crumbling city existing outside the realm of time. She grits her teeth, as it seems she’ll have to wait for another opportunity to get her hands on a human vessel. It’ll be hard considering Seth’s lost his memories, and Gumillia doesn’t have memory-restoration powers.

_ Scene 6 _

  * Cut to Angolmois. Elluka demands to know why Meta and her children went in after her. Meta explains that it was an impulse decision and that she means no harm. She says she and her children will be on their way.
  * Elluka tells them to wait, and talk to her for a little bit more. Now that she’s free from Gumillia’s influence, she can think clearly. She still wants to cure HER, but not at the expense of anyone. She says maybe she can research a better, less harmful cure. She asks Meta and her children if they can help her, being HERs themselves.
  * Meta initially refuses, but Gretel says they can’t really return to the ground world anyway. Hansel seconds her, saying it’s probably best they lie low in Angolmois if Seth and Gumillia are on the loose.
  * Meta relents, and tells Elluka they’ll stay and help.


	8. Kindness: The Homemaker of Onigashima

**PRAEMIA VIRTUTIS HONORES: THE HOMEMAKER OF ONIGASHIMA**

_ Infomine under the cut. _

_ Scene 1 _

  * An unnamed narrator looks down on Enbizaka from up on a hill. It’s nighttime.
  * She readies her weapon - a surgical knife. She says to herself that, in order to make a good home, one needs to throw out the “dirt”. Apparently the couple owning the hairpin shop is having marital troubles. It seems the husband’s being unfaithful to the wife. The narrator decides she will once again intervene, for the sake of “peace”.
  * She begins descending the hill. Her name is Mei Miroku. This is her fifth killing this month.

_ Scene 2 _

  * The Izasa region’s magistrate, Gato Octo scoffs at the pair standing in front of him - a pair of twins, consisting of a boy and a girl. They have golden hair and blue eyes. The boy introduces himself as Kokutan, and the girl introduces herself as Kaguya. Gato asks for their real names, but they refuse. They introduce themselves as the Hero Twins of Momogengou. Gato says fine, and tells them to shut the door.
  * He says he’ll give them the files pertaining to the murders that started two months ago, and that he’ll additionally have them speak to Uibee, the constable.
  * Gato excuses himself, and leaves the room to get the files. Kokutan tells Kaguya it’ll be a fun experience, while Kaguya chastises him for getting them mixed up in such a big issue. Kokutan tells her with the money Gato will pay them, they can set up the bakery they always wanted to have. Kaguya says fine, as long as Kokutan buys her a cat charm later.
  * Their real names are Amostia and Irina, a pair of irregulars that have escaped from Lunaca Labora and traveled to Jakoku.

_ Scene 3 _

  * A girl, Izumi, thinks back to that fateful night. She doesn’t know what got over her - the next thing she knew, she had twin children in her arms and she was running away from their mother. It all seems familiar to her, like she’s done it before.
  * She waves the thought from her mind. Once she came to her senses, she handed the children off to one of her associates who was looking to start a family. She puts on her mask, takes her sword, and goes up the mountain.
  * She is Izumi Hatsune, descendant of the great princess Jahime from Jakoku’s civil war period. She is also the leader of the Teal Robed Masses, an anti-government organization founded by Jahime centuries ago to fight against the Tokugawa faction.

[...]

_ Scene 9 _

  * Izumi goes up the mountain, alone. It seems her cover’s been blown - she’ll just dig up the gold she’s buried at the Teal Robed Masses base, then she’ll flee somewhere. She considers Evillious.
  * By the time she gets to the mountain, Mei is there. Mei greets her, and Izumi greets her in turn, although she’s unnerved.
  * Mei asks Izumi if she’s ever had children. Izumi realizes what she’s saying, and makes to run.
  * Mei lunges at Izumi with inhuman speed, and pins her down. She takes out her surgical knife.
  * Mei says that she’s finally found the source of her troubles. She also knows Izumi is the leader of the Teal Robed Masses in Enbizaka. She’ll finally bring peace to the town once she kills Izumi.
  * Izumi tries to scream for help, but she realizes she doesn’t have a voice. Mei tells her it’s one of her powers, granted by the Angel of Kindness. To manipulate voices, and take the voices of others away.
  * Mei talks like a doctor examining a patient, and that they’ll now begin the “surgery”.

_ Scene 10 _

  * Kokutan and Kaguya wait at the foot of the mountain, hesitating to go up. Gato’s forces arrive at the scene, having followed them. So do Perrié’s agents. There’s tension, as they’re all fighting as to who gets to have their way with Mei. They’re also looking for Izumi, who’s also mysteriously disappeared.
  * Mei comes down the mountain, wearing her usual red kimono. There’s something different about it though - it’s stained with blood, although hard to see given the kimono’s color.
  * Mei greets them as if she were welcoming them into her home. She says that her mission’s complete, and that she’ll go with them without a fight. Peace is finally restored in Enbizaka.

_ Scene 11 _

  * Kokutan and Kaguya puzzle over the decision. They’re tasked with executing Mei, but they need to do it together for their irregular powers to activate and for Mei to actually be killed. Kokutan doesn’t want to, seeing Mei as a mother, while Kaguya insists it’s the right thing to do, given all the trouble Mei’s caused.
  * Kokutan begins crying, and Kaguya comforts him with a hug.

_ Scene 12 _

  * Perrié is among the people watching Mei’s execution. Some people curse at Mei for taking their loved ones away - others shudder in fear at someone who’s killed so many people.
  * Mei is taken over to the board, and her executioners appear - Kokutan and Kaguya, who had been living with her for the past few months as her “children”. Perrié laughs at the bitter irony.
  * It’s been confirmed that Izumi is dead. Perrié muses that, with their leader gone, the Teal Robed Masses will be easier to eliminate.
  * Cut to the execution block. Kokutan and Kaguya raise the katana, and tell Mei goodbye.
  * Mei says, right before they make the final blow, that she’s happy she got to be their mother. She tells them goodbye.


	9. Temperance: Los Miserablés

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The musical starring Megour and her daughter, Banica.

**Song — Singers**  
_Prologue_  
"In This Fair Beelzenia" — Chorus  
"The Breadbreaker" — Gunita, Chorus  
"Eat Your Carrots, Dear" — Megour, Banica

_Act 1_  
"The Plateau and Her Flowers" — Magdalena  
"A Kind Spring and a Cruel Summer" — Magdalena, Banica  
"The Prince In His Tower" — Carlos  
"Let's Run Away" — Magdalena, Banica  
"Don't Forget Me" — Magdalena, Banica

_Act 2_  
"Hark, the Revolution" — Gunita, Chorus  
"Hello, We're Engaged" — Carlos, Banica  
"Let's Run Away" (Reprise) — Carlos, Banica

_Act 3_  
"Phantom Thief Platonic Strikes Again" — Magdalena  
"Hark, the Revolution" (Reprise) — Gunita, Chorus  
"Let's Run Away" (Reprise) — Carlos, Banica, Magdalena  
"Two Become One" — Gunita, Megour, Duke d'Autriche, Chorus

_Epilogue_  
"The Girl, the Boy and the Girl” — Carlos, Banica, Magdalena  
"The Breadbreaker" (Reprise) — Megour, Luna

  
**PROLOGUE**

The play opens in Beelzenia, a massive empire with a great divide between the rich and the poor. The common folk sarcastically sing about how “great” their lives are (“In Fair Beelzenia”). Soon, we are introduced to the Elphe Gunita, a rabblerouser aiming to start a revolt against Beelzenia’s nobility; she’s famed among the commoners as The Breadbreaker ("The Breadbreaker"). Meanwhile, a woman who looks exactly like Gunita, Megour, scolds her daughter for not eating her carrots. It’s shown how much Gunita and Megour’s lives contrast despite their identical appearance ("Eat Your Carrots, Dear").

**ACT 1**

We are introduced to Magdalena, only daughter of the Calgaround family, as she picks flowers on the plateau where she lives. She’s quite lonely, and remembers having wanted friends in a previous life ("The Plateau and Her Flowers"). She meets Banica, who is sent to Elphegort by Megour to live with her grandparents and learn about her Elphe roots. The two become close, and pursue a summer romance ("A Kind Spring and a Cruel Summer"). Meanwhile, in Marlon, the third prince, Carlos, laments his fate, considered a nuisance by his family for being sickly and having no chance to inerhit the throne ("The Prince In His Tower"). Back in Elphegort, Banica tells Magdalena they should just run away and build new lives for themselves, to which Magdalena refuses, citing her reluctance to abandon her family. Banica cannot relate, having a tense relationship with her mother ("Let's Run Away"). At the end of summer, Banica leaves Magdalena and the two promise to always remember each other ("Don't Forget Me").

**ACT 2**

It’s a few years later. Revolution is brewing in Beelzenia ("Hark, the Revolution"). Meanwhile, Banica meets Carlos; the two are betrothed by Beelzenia’s empress Juno in order to forge an alliance with Marlon. The two are initially awkward but soon become friends by bonding over food, although Banica is still heartsick over Magdalena ("Hello, We're Engaged"). With the revolution breaking out in Beelzenia and Marlon caught in a war with Lioness, Banica tells Carlos they should just run away, no one being able to pursue them in all the chaos. Carlos agrees, always having wanted to study cooking and see the world (“Let's Run Away" (Reprise))

**ACT 3**

While all of this is happening, Magdalena has also run away due to her parents’ restrictiveness, becoming the infamous Phantom Thief Platonic ("Phantom Thief Platonic Strikes Again"). As Gunita’s revolution succeeds ("Hark, the Revolution" (Reprise)), Magdalena crosses paths with Banica and Carlos on the run, and, although having an emotional confrontation with Banica, decides to join them ("Let's Run Away" (Reprise)). As Duke d’Autriche, the most powerful duke of Beelzenia, figures out what’s going on, he pretends to give himself over to the people, requesting he at least be given a trial. At the trial, he reveals that Gunita and Megour are one the same, Megour having been in two places at once due to the magic powers of her milk jug, the vessel of Temperance. With the jig up, Megour is forced to reveal her deception, and is lynched by the mob while Duke d’Autriche makes his escape ("Two Become One").

**EPILOGUE**

Banica, Carlos and Magdalena all decide to settle down and live a simple but comfortable life in Beelzenia’s newly independent Lucifenia territory, away from prying eyes ("The Girl, the Boy and the Girl"). Meanwhile, Megour wakes up in the Hellish Yard, accompanied by Luna, the Angel of Temperance. Luna reveals she masterminded it all in order to groom Megour to be the new Master of the Hellish Yard. To atone, Megour takes up the mantle, judging the souls of the dead ("The Breadbreaker" (Reprise)).


	10. Patience: The Gardener of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious identity of 'Gear' is revealed.

**PRAEMIA VIRTUTIS HONORES: THE LOST SHEPHERD**

_Infomine under the cut._

_ Scene 1 _

  * The novel opens on a picturesque river and Marlon. A father-son pair are fishing.
  * The son asks the father why they have to let the small fish they catch back into the river. The father says it’s to give them a proper chance at life. He explains that that’s the meaning of charity.
  * The son is puzzled, but decides that, as a Levin reverend, his father is definitely an authority on God and morality. They catch one more fish, and depart home for supper.
  * The father is very pleased with their catch, and muses that he’ll make his son a fisher of men. The father is Gandalf Marlon, and his son is Gallerian.

_ Scene 2 _

  * It’s right after church. Two townspeople talk about Gandalf. The older, a housewife and admirer of Gandalf, says that he has no political ambition, despite being a descendant of the Marlon royals. He’s content with being a man of God, preaching at the local church and raising his son. His wife Kaede Octo had died giving birth to Gallerian.
  * The younger townsperson, a medical student from abroad, remarks that Gandalf looks very youthful for his age, and wonders why. The housewife says it’s anybody’s guess, as Gandalf is a very private person. They go their respective ways.

_ Scene 3 _

  * Behemo, the Angel of Charity, muses upon Gandalf’s life from within its vessel, a set of scales. The way their covenant works is that Gandalf can pay a bit of money to the Angel, who will then extend his lifespan by a short amount. This is how Gandalf has stayed alive this long (he’s still very able despite nearing seventy), as well as why he’s so thrifty.
  * Behemo wonders if Gandalf’s choice of having Gallerian collect the vessels was correct. He also thinks back on how Gandalf had left Gallerian to die in the Leviantan Civil War. He supposes that it’s quite appropriate - the father killing the son thanks to the word of angels.

_ Scene 4 _

  * Gallerian excitedly writes to Gandalf, saying that he’s already gathered five of the six vessels needed to save his life. Apparently he’s under the impression that Gandalf is dying, and that the only thing that can cure him is a wish granted by all the angels combined. To this end, he’s become a judge for the Dark Star Bureau and instigated all sorts of corrupt dealings.
  * The narration notes that Gandalf is Gallerian’s only family, and so he’s working tirelessly to save his father.

_ Scene 5 _

  * Gallerian meets with Gandalf in his mansion. Gandalf tells him to escape, as the civil war has caught up with them and there’s a mob outside. Gallerian says no, and that Gandalf should escape instead. He’s worked too hard to let his father die in some uprising. Gallerian summons Postman, and Gandalf is smuggled out of Alicegrad.

_ Scene 6 _

  * An unknown person welcomes Gandalf to Evil’s Theater. Gandalf asks him if he’s happy, as his own son has died trying to achieve their agenda. The other person says it’ll all make sense soon, as they’re going to use the angels to save the world.
  * The person is Gammon Loop Octopus, kept alive all this time by his covenant with Held, the Angel of Patience. Apparently, the Angel can slow the flow of time for his practitioner, so Gammon’s effectively immortal. Gammon has apparently been biding his time over the centuries, amassing resources and gathering allies.
  * There are other strange inhabitants at the theater. Gandalf meets all of them, including the Witch of Fate, who is apparently his long-lost granddaughter Michelle. Apparently Gallerian had a love affair with Mira Yarera, daughter of the Yarera mobsters. Mira birthed Michelle in secret, and raised her to be a mobster like her.
  * Gandalf decides to join the other inhabitants. He ponders on what to call himself, and decides that he’s just another cog in the machinations of gods. He chooses the name “Gear”.


	11. Chastity: Flowers of the Plateau

**PRAEMIA VIRTUTIS HONORES: FLOWERS OF THE PLATEAU**

Infomine under the cut.

_ Scene 1 _

  * Recap on how the four pillar gods made the world, and then cast down the seven rebellious angels who didn’t carry out their will.
  * The angels inhabited physical objects and, as revenge, influenced the objects’ owners to chaos.
  * These are the vessels of virtue.

_ Scene 2 _

  * The novel opens on a moonlit night. Mikulia, a prostitute at a Lasaland brothel, looks out the window.
  * She’s unhappy. She fled her hometown of Abito to look for her “prince”, but ended up becoming a prostitute, unable to find any other work. She’s miserable.
  * Her eyes fall on a shell pendant on her nightstand. She doesn’t remember getting it, not being one for jewelry. She thinks she hears hissing somewhere, but ignores it. She admires how untainted and pure it is, and wishes she were the same.
  * The pendant speaks to her. The voice introduces itself as Levia, the Angel of Chastity. It can help her become pure. Mikulia accepts, and puts on the necklace.

_ Scene 3 _

  * Lilien is opening her bakery in Mystica. She’s married to her childhood friend Rajih, and while they got along as children things aren’t really working out for them as husband and wife due to Lilien’s stubborn personality.
  * Lilien recalls Lukana passing by the shop the other day and warning her to look out for a certain woman, but can’t remember what the woman is supposed to look like.
  * A woman enters the bakery. Lilien remembers at the last minute that she was supposed to watch out for a woman with green hair done in twin pigtails, but the last thing Lilien remembers is the maddening fragrance of flowers.

_ Scene 4 _

  * In the Glassred mansion, Gumina discusses with her servant Carol their investigation into the disappearance of her childhood friend, Cherubim Venomania. She’s worried sick, as he vanished without a trace a few days ago.
  * She thinks she has an idea. Just as she’s about to share it to Carol, Carol tells her she’s got something for her. She takes out a flower - a Greeonian Plateau Rose - and brings it to Gumina’s face. She falls into a trance.

_ Scene 5 _

  * At the Beelzenian imperial castle in Rucolebeni, Princess Maylis investigates the disappearances of women all over the Asmodean region, including her sister-in-law Yufina, who vanished while touring the area with her husband King Martius.
  * She’s gotten a breakthrough, but just as she goes to the door, her spy, investigator Neruneru, enters and puts a flower to her face. She goes into a trance.
  * Maylis repeats that she wants to be pure, and follows Neruneru on foot away from the castle.

_ Scene 6 _

  * In the basement of the Calgaround mansion, several women are holding a ceremony. At the center is a hooded woman - their leader.
  * It’s Mikulia. She’s married the nobleman Gilbert, then poisoned him - the townspeople think he died of an illness, so she’s thankfully not under any scrutiny right now.
  * She brews something in her cauldron - she tells the women (among them Lilien, Gumina, Carol, Neruneru, Yufina and Maylis) that it’s a little something that will help them become pure. She calls them her “flowers”, and that flowers absolutely must be pure. Flowers of the plateau.

_ Scene 7 _

  * It’s the night of a full moon. Headed to the Calgaround mansion are four people - Lukana, Rajih, the mercenary Gabriel (really Cherubim under an assumed name), and a mysterious blue-haired sorcerer. Lukana leads them, having foreseen them to enacting an attack on the mansion in a dream.
  * Rajih asks her if they’re really correct in doing things. The sorcerer confirms it, saying “purple dreams” are almost always reliable. Gabriel nods silently to agree.
  * A little exposition on Gabriel - he ran away from home due to his father’s abuse, living with the guard that used to watch his cell, Witnis Truth. Witnis taught him how to wield a sword for self-defense, and he discovered himself to be surprisingly good at it, so he decided to try making a living out of it. This is his first job as a mercenary, and he hopes things will turn out alright.

_ Scene 8 _

  * The attack starts. Lukana summons a great wind to blow down the mansion’s doors, and is successful. Rajih and Gabriel both charge in, wielding swords. The sorcerer (Adam) says Lukana should go inside, and that he’ll stand watch outside.
  * Eventually, Lukana, Rajih and Gabriel come upon the basement. The women are just about to drink their poison. Lukana blows the cups out of their hands with her wind magic, and the two men tip over the cauldron. Mikulia flees deeper into the basement.

_ Scene 9 _

  * We see things from Mikulia’s perspective. Her plan is ruined now. She says if she can’t save the other women then she’ll just save herself.
  * She puts the cup to her mouth, and drinks. The last thing she sees is black as she wishes to be reborn.

_ Scene 10 _

  * Adam is outside. Gabriel and Rajih carry Mikulia’s lifeless body, and Adam recognizes her as his wife, Eve. He’s crushed, not knowing she was the one behind all this.
  * He starts weeping, and Lukana comforts him. As the other women flee the mansion, Gumina tearfully reunites with Gabriel.
  * Maylis goes up to Adam, and thanks him for his help. She offers to make him the imperial family’s court mage, which Adam says he’ll think about.
  * Maylis says she’ll be leaving now, bringing Neruneru and Yufina with her.

_ Scene 11 _

  * There’s a recap of the aftermath.
  * Lilien has returned home to Rajih and says she doesn’t want to be married to him, wanting to travel and see the world. Rajih reveals that he feels the same way, and so they depart along with Lukana.
  * Gumina has married Gabriel, unhappy in her betrothal to Sateriasis. Gabriel and Carol have joined forces and established an elite mercenary group, which Gumina manages.
  * Yufina has, thanks to Maylis’ advice, decided enough is enough, and broken off her marriage to Martius and eloped with her lover Karchess. They stage a coup to overthrow Martius’ government and are successful, establishing a “legitimate” country of Marlon.
  * Maylis has told her father she doesn’t want to be married to the ogling Marquis Ferdinand, and puts her foot down. Her father, Emperor Jupitarire, acquiesces, and Maylis becomes a gourmand, traveling the world in search of ways to improve Beelzenia’s food culture. She eventually marries her retainer, Toy Conchita, and they have a daughter.

_ Scene 12 _

  * The narrator of the recap says it’s a “happily ever after” ending. He predicts Eve will reincarnate again in around two centuries, although he’s not sure where. In any case, he’s had fun toying with her and Adam using the vessel of Chastity.
  * Everything he does is to sate his boredom anyway. He takes his pet snake and it slithers across his shoulders.
  * His name is Seth Twiright, Master of the Hellish Yard.


End file.
